Method and means for making molds for building blocks and the like



July 24, 1928. 1,678,256

E. S. NIESTRADT METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING MOLDS FOR BUILDING BLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 28, 1926 4. Sheets-Sheet 1 5 './0 v 7 /c- 3 9 A3 5' /G I j z 6 y /4 km /5 I /5 m% 7 27 /0 5 V Z x\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY. A

July 24, 1926. M 1,678,266 E. S. NIESTRADT METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING MOLDS FOR BUILDING BLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 28, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 27 7 7 Z I -Z.\K\\\\\\ \\\\\\%/A 26 26 /0 'INVENTOR.

27 7 a7 BY V i .mkw

g 26 ATTORNEY.

Jul 24, 1928.

E. S. NIESTRADT METHOD AND MEANS FOR MAKING MOLDS FOR BUILDING BLOCKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 28, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 H6 1 20 I N VEN TOR A TORNEY W a M 5 Z a l ?llllfffffffffllflfj Patented July 24, 19 28.

METHOD AND MEANS non MAKINsivioLns' non euliimne ream Ann 'iinnirxn.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming building-blocks of plastic material and 1 its principal obj ect re-' the model in which the building blocks were subsequently cast.

, Tl1--111hl10l of forming ornamentally faced buildingblocks according to the present invention, eliminates the production of an original or model in making a moldol the required design," and it therefore involvesalconsiderable saving in labor, time and money while at the same time avoiding the employment of skilled artistsiheretofore requiredto carve or otherwise produce the models r i z the practise ofmy improved method of forming the molds, use .isimadefoi simple devices and parts which areused and arranged in a manner peculiar to my invention and thcsehdevices and parts in their cooperative relation in which theyi-"are placed in the successive steps of the Imcthod have been shown in the accompanying draw ings.@ vi u It is to be understood that the form, shape and arrangement of the parts must necessarily be; varied in accordance with the type and formoi, theibuilding blocksito be pro' duced and that the drawings are merclyian exemplificationiof the means employed in the method as will hereinafter be described. In thedrawings in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout-r thegseveral views, I

Figure, 1 represents .a plan view of knockdown moldor form used in producing theside-members of the mold in which the building blocks aretobe cast, 1 b q t Figure 2, a section taken on the line 2 Figurel, v i i Figure 3, a section along the line 3+3 Fig ure1, i Figure 4, a fragmentary section similar to Figure h wing a modification. oil the form and arrangement of the parts of the mold, H 5,,

K Figure 5, a fragmentary perspective view of two adjoining parts offthe form illustrated i n 'Figure 1, i

Figure 6, a perspective view of one of the mold-members shown inFigure 1,

, Figure 7, a. perspective view illustrating themethod of forming the basemember of the mold' by means of a profile templ etf Figure 8, a perspective view of apart of the templct, T V 5 Figure 9, a plan view of a knockdown fornrcmployed in makingthe base member of a mold for forming plain-facedhuilding'blocks, 1' n p 7 '1 J 'iFi gure 10, a section along the line 1010 Figure9, I is r F igure 11, a section taken on the line ll ll Figure 9, i if V Figure 12, a plan-view of the mold illustrating the method ofproducing the endmembers of the same \after the base-member and the side-members have been'formed, ,Figure13,a section taken in the plane indicatedibyithe line 1313 in Figure 12, Figure 14, a section on the line l l Figure 12,." 1;: j i- F:i'gure-15, a perspective view of one of the end-members of the mold in an inverted position, i p' i Figure 16, a side-view of a partition used in forming the end-members of the mold, :Figure 17:, a top-view: of thejsame, Figure 18, a section along the line lS-18, Figure 17, [is i f Figure 19, a fragmentary section on the line:1919rF.igurefl16, drawn to an enlarged scale, a e V Figure 20, a plan-view of the completed mold, wFigure 21, a section alongthe line 2121, Figure 20, i

lFigure 22, a section taken on 22-22, Figure 20, and

Figure 2 3, a perspective view ing block produced Figure 20. v i

Referring first to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, the side members 5 of the mold are made in a form made up of parts assembled upon a workbench, slab ior other plainfsurtace Thefparts n d in m king of the buildin the mold depicted produced in the; form the use 1 members .of themold as willil ereinafter be explained.

Theparts of which theformis made are of two kinds, namely fiat strips 8 provided, vith ridges 9 of V-shaped section toproduce the grooves of the member 5, and bars ;10

provided with V-shaped grooves :12 :to pro:

vide the tongues G ofthe members Thev bars arefiat on their sidcsopposite to their grooved s des so that nrareversed, POSLUOI'I they gmay formvthe flat ends, of the moldmembers, This has been-illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 in which three of the bars, are placed with their flat. sides within the form and. the fourth. one has its groovedside in" side the. same.

The bars are furthermore recessed. at'their. underside. inl conformity with, the.- ridged surfaces of the flat strips 8, as best shown at 13 in Figure 5 so, thatthey may beplac'ed over the strips while maintaining theircontact with theplain surface on which the parts oftheform are assembled.

The various parts of the form are bev eled as indicated at Ll and 15 to form a, panel 011 the face ofthemembers which pro duces correspondingly formed rebate'sin the sides of the molded block.

It will be observed that the parts of. the form may be placed at any distance apart within the limits of their lengths tomake mold-members of different dimensions and proportions. a, v i I The, parts of the form are preferably made of metaland they may; be hollowed'to reduce weight and expense of material.

' The hollow construction of the parts has not been shown in the, drawings butit'can be readily understood -.without further "illus tration. The-side membersb ofthe mold are castin the form of plaster of Paris or other plastic material, itjbeing apparent thatafter the material has hardened in place, thefornr base or matrix-member16 of the mold is parts from the molded article. I

Referring now to Figures 7 and-.S,-tho base or matrix-member 16 of. the inoldiis made of a mass of soft plaster of Paris or other plastic material placed on. a work bench, slablor other plain surface by drawing a profile templet 17 across its upper surface. jThe templet may be made of a body part 18 of wood or other suitable m a terial "an d edge-pl ates -19'and 20 'of metal thereof.

which are cut in the fo m of the required ornamental surface of the building block.

The plates are made in three end-to-end adjoining sections which are-fastened to the body member by means census, screws or rivets and extend "below the lower "edge Th middle section 'is'cut in" the forni of the ornament-almontour of the building blocks to be formedin the mold and the end-sections are cutv with ,ridges .110 form grooves-21 along the side-edges of the-base;

member. of the mold which register, with the tongues 6 ofpthe sidemembers 'lof'thesa neQ Thegmass of plastic materialof which the, base member ofHthe-mold/ s formed hardensi while the templet is drawn across its sur face and after .it hascompletely hardened,

its ends are sawed off to the'required length i, The member is, subsequentlychiseled lads. jaccnt thexends-of its upper surface to, pro-, vide grooves 22 and: 23 and pits; 24: '1\Vl1lCll together form the -so.,-calledftjagger-holes which lock the .endemembers' 25 of themold; in place upon the base-member of the same Int-he production of plain-faced building blocks without; ornamental surface the base block may. be made in a .manneresimilar ,to that employed Im tllGPIOClUCtlOIl of the side-a membersyns illustrated in Figures 9 to 111 inwhich four ridged strips 26 and four bars 2; formed similarly to. thBStIlPS; andbars oftheform. .illustratedin. Figure 1, are ask sembled in right :angularformation upon work bench or other level surface. The fourstrips form grooves along the margin of the base-member to: register with cone spending tongues. on the side members and endmembers of the same,'-and thelbevelcd edges of the stripsforn'r a panel between the grooves. i .w

I ltiwill be 'noted that in this form all the bars are placed with theirplain surfaces in-f nermost inasmuch as no tongues or grooves arerequired at the edges of the base-member. 'loproduce a rebate of greater depth the strips 26amay be widened and thebars placed onitheir extensions 26 as illustrated 1nF1gure4.

. Havinggthus obtained the base memberand the side members of the-mold, theendmembers'25 are produced'by casting in a form of which the case'and side members are This step in the method of forming the mold'is illustrated'in Figures 12 to" The sidemembersare placed on the base memberin the proper position with their tongues in the 'grooves'Ql as clearlyshownparts;

in Figure 14. ,Theends'of the moldare closed by upright boards or plates 28-and at distances. from theseboards on plates,

equal to the desired thickness of the end:

members of the mold, the space of. the mold between its side. member is divided by metal: partitlons 29. 1 i

The aartitions, shown in detail in Figures l6 to 18 consist ofthree plates and 31, the outer ones of which are slidably connected =with the middle one by holdingstraps 32. The straps are loosely fastened at their centers to the middle plate bymeans of bolts 33 and the end plates 31 are slipped into the spaces between-the straps andthe plate to wl ch theyare attached and are thus held in place. i

i The middle plate 30 is oblong and in order that it may be used in two positions, it has been provided with two sets of-straps 32 at right angles to each other.

The construct-ion of the partitions as above described renders them extensible and contractible so that they may be used in molds of different widths and it is to be umlerstood that in molds of lesser Width the middle member of the partitions may be omitted and the side-members placed in lapping relation to each other.

The outer members of the partitions are provided at their outer edges with rectangular flanges 34k which in practice engage upon the inner faces of the side-members of the mold as shown in Figure 12. The flanges may be folded upon themselves for the purpose of securing the vertical legs of squares 35 which by engagement with the face of the base member of the mold adjacent the side members of the same, facilitate placing the partition in a true vertical position. The squares slide in thedoubled flanges so that they may be adjusted to diiferent forms of molds, and they aid in supporting the partitions in the mold and in holding them in position while the end pieces of the mold are being cast.

The side plates of the partitions are usually offset as indicaed at 36 in the drawings for the purpose of forming panels which in the production of the building blocks form rebates in the ends thereof.

After the end-plates 28 and the partitions 29 have been placed in their proper positions relative to the base member and side members of the mold, to produce the forms in whichthe endanembers of the mold are to be cast, the spaces 37 between the lower edges of the partitions and the face of the base plate are filled with clay or other suitable material, the inner faces of the forms are coated with a lacquer of soap and water or other material to prevent sticking, and plaster of Paris or other plastic material is pouredinto the forms and allowed to harden in place. I

'I.he-,end-members thus producedhave of course the counterparts of the grooves in the ends of the side-members and the jaggenholes in the face of the base member so that they may be removed at will and replaced in their proper position relative to the other .members of the mold. The coundifferent methods, heretofore employed .in

the production of building blocks 'or other ar icles of terr-a ootta and other plastic material. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The method of making a mold for building blocks and the like, consisting in separately producing the base member and side members of the mold, and casting the end members of the mold in forms, of which the priorly produced members are parts, the members of the mold being provided with integral means for locking them in their relative positions.

2. In apparatus for making a mold for building blocks and the like, the combination with a base-member of the mold and o oposite side-members of the same, of closing means for an end of the mold, and a removable partition spaced from said closing 3. In apparatus for making a mold for building blocks and the like, the combination with a base member of the mold and opposite side-members of the same, of closing means for an end of'the mold, and an extensible partition spaced from said closing means, in engagement with the sidemembers.

4. In apparatus for making a mold for building blocks and the like, the combination with a base member of the mold and opposite side-members of the same, of closing means for an end of the mold, and a partition spaced from said closing means and having flanges engaging with the side members.

5. In apparatus for making a mold for building blocks and the like, the combination with a base-member of the mold and opposite side-members of the same, of closing means for an end of the mold, a removable partition spaced from saidclosing means and having flanges engaging with the side members, and squares connected with said flanges to engage with the base-member.

6. In apparatus for making a mold for building blocks and the like, the combination with a base-member of the mold and opposite side-members of the same, of means tor closing end of the mold, and a partition spaced from said end and composed of slidably connected sections engaging the side-members.

7. In apparatus for making-a mold for building blocks and the'like the combination with a base-member of the mold and opposite side-members of the same, of means for closing an end of the mold, and a partition spaced from said end and composed of a middle section and outer sections slidably connected with the middle section and ent gaging the side members of the mold.

tion with a base-member of the mold and opposite side-members of the same, of means for closing an end of the mold, and a partition spaced from said end between the side members and having laterally extending legs engaging the base-member. I

,9. The method of making a mold for building blocks and the like, consisting in producing a base member, casting side membersin forms apart fromthe base member, and casting end members informs of which the priorly produced members are parts.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature. a

' ERNEST s. N ESTRADT. 

